Condensing apparatus.



C. A: PARSONS, S. S. COOK & R HOWE.

CONDENSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, .1915.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

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CHARLES ALGERNON PARSONS, STANLEY SIVIITH COOK, AND ROBERT HOWE, OFWALLSEND, ENGLAND; SAID COOK AND HOWE ASSIGNORS T0 SAID PARSONS.

CONDENSING- APPARATUS.

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Specification oeters Patent. Patentgd sg pt. 5, 19146;.

Application filed May a, 1915. Serial No. 25,653.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES ALGERNON PABsoNs, STANLEY SMITH Coon, andRon- ERT Hown,'subjeots of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, andresidents of Turbinia "Works, Wallsend-on-Tyne, in the county ofNorthumberland, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Condensing Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to condensing apparatus of the typedescribed in United States Patent No. 741,270 filed 5th August 1902, inwhich the condenser is connected to ordinary exhausting means, such as awet air pump, and in which augmenter means, such as a steam jet, forincreasing the degree of vacuum are provided, delivering from thecondenser to the air pump. In such apparatus, owing to the fact that thecondenser pressure is lower than the pressure at the air pump inlet, itis usual to provide a water seal between an augmenter inlet and the airpump suction, to prevent the return of non-condensed vapors or air tothe inlet of the augmenter. The use of this water seal requires that thecondenser be placed at a certain minimum height above the air pumpinlet, a condition which often presents difficulties, especially onboard steamships, where the available depth below the condenser islimited. To overcome this difficulty, and enable a condenser to beplaced more nearly on the same level as the inlet of its air pump, ithas been proposed to employ an artificially produced head of water. Byusing such means, for example, as a raised receiver, to which thecondensate and air and vapor are delivered before discharge by the wetair pump, a vacuum equal to or in excess of thatin the condenser beingmain tained within the receiver. Certain disadvantages attach to thisarrangement, one of these disadvantages being that when. the pumpproducing the artificial head has to deliver into a receiver at aconsiderable height, its speed when of the centrifugal type is great,and unless it be placed at a much lower level than the sump of thecondenser, it will not draw the hot condensed steam watersatisfactorily.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome suchdisadvantages.

The present invention consists in con- (lensing apparatus of the typeindicated, in

which the condensate outlet from the con denser sump and the inlet tothe wet air pump are substantially at the same level, the usual waterseal being replaced by a pump delivering condensate direct to the airpump inlet, and situated substantially at the level of the condenseroutlet.

The invention further consists in the use in such a condensing apparatusof a low speed rotary pump, having sufiicient lift to overcome the smalldifference in pressure between the condenser and the air pump suction,and in addition, such small difference in head as may result from thecondenser being at a slightly lower level than the air pump.

'The present invention also consists in the improved condensingapparatus hereinafter described.

he accompanying drawing illustrates one method of carrying out thepresent invention.

In carrying the invention into efi'ect according to the formillustrated, a sump a is provided on the lower part of the maincondenser b. At the lower part of this sump an outlet 0 of large size isprovided, connected to a pump d, which may be either a slow speed rotaryor slow speed reciprocating pump with extrav large suction valves, anon-return valve (not shown) being provided in some cases, andpr'eferablyfitted on the delivery side of the pump. The delivery fromthis pump is taken to the inlet 6 of the ordinary exhausting means,which may consist in a wet air pump m of the bucket type, as shown inthe drawing. The upper part of the sump a is connected to the conedinlet f of an augmenter, which may be of the type disclosed in PatentNo. 741,270. At about the base of the coned portion of this conduit theusual diverging steam jet 9 is provided, the discharge from which,together with the entrained vapor and air, is led to the usual vaporcondenser h, from which a passage j leads to the inlet e of the ordinaryexhausting means m. It will be understood that the conduit, f, is, j,containing the augmenting device lies preferably at a higher level thanthe conduit 6, Z, containing the Water pumping device. By employing aslow speed water pump to deliver condensate from the main condenser tothe wet air pump in this manner, the necessity for a wate; seal toprevent return of uncondensed vapors to the augmenter inlet is avoided.It is therefore possible to place the main condenser at a much lowerlevel with respect to the air pump inlet than is possible when employinga water seal, which is a feature of considerable value in connectionwith condensing plants for use on board ship, and also in some cases onland where depth of foundation is limited.

It will be seen that the water pump as shown, which is of thecentrifugal type, only delivers against a very small hydraulic head, andfor this reason its speed of revolution is necessarily slow. Also it isseen that the passage ways are large. Under these conditions the pumpwill work entirely satisfactorily with water at a temperature whosevapor density coincides with that in the condenser, the head on the pumpsuction being only a few inches. Further, if the pump had to deliveragainst a head of many feet, it would not work satisfactorily unlessplaced at a much lower level than the sump, which would be in many casesimpossible on board ship. A further advantage resulting from thisarrangement is that where the low pressure turbine is required to beplaced at a low level, on board a ship, for instance, satisfactorydraining of the low pressure turbine can be arranged for by leading thedrains to a sump a.

When using a water seal, it has in such cases been necessary to lead thedrainage from the low pressure turbine to the augmenter suction box, andplace the latter below the turbine drain, which has a detrixrfentaleffect upon the efliciency of the augmenter. The necessity for thisconnection to the augmenter box is avoided by the present inventio 7 Itwill be understood that any form of water pumping device suitable forWorking satisfactorily with a minimum, head on its suction may beemployed in the conduit between the condenser and air pump. It will beunderstood further that although a wet air pump of the bucket type hasbeen described as the main exhausting device, any suitableexhaustingdevice, either of the jet, rotary or reciprocating type may be employed.In certain cases, it may be desirable to provide vapor condensers, aircoolers or other auxiliaries, disposed as may be necessary between themain condenser and the main air pumps, in addition to or in place of thecondenser h.

We claim Condensing apparatus of the type indi-- cated, in which thecondensate outlet from the condenser sump and the inlet to the Wet airpump are substantially at the same level, the usual water seal beingreplaced by a pump deliverin condensate against a small head direct to te air pump inlet, and situated substantially at the level of thecondenser outlet.

In testimony whereof, we ailix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES ALGERNON PARSONS. STANLEY SMITH COOK. ROBERT HOWE. Witnesses:

FREDERICK GORDON HAY AIDFORD.

ALBERT WVILLIAM PARR.

